Hi !

A Company Town without a Company
I thought that company towns went the way of the buggy whip until I visited one last year, Port Gamble, WA. The tiny town of 85 people sits along the Hood Canal. William Talbot, Josiah Keller and Andrew Pope modeled the community after their hometown of East Machias, ME when they moved to the region in 1853 to build a new timber mill.

Port Gamble's heyday was in the 1920's when the mill employed 250. When the mill shut its doors in 1995, it had the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating sawmill in the USA. It fell victim to the spotted owl and environmentalist attacks, which resulted in over 200 mills closing in the NW during the late 1980's and early 1990's.

Port Gamble is making an admirable comeback for such a small town. It boasts 25 entrepreneurs today compared to only 9 in 2001. Many of these entrepreneurs are operating small businesses out of their storefronts while living upstairs, just like in the old days. All buildings are leased from Pope Resources which has spent several million dollars on refurbishing the town and cleaning up the old mill site. Their intention is to develop up to 4,000 acres of timber land that the company owns.

A unique attraction in Port Gamble is the historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church, which has become a popular venue for weddings. Last year they hosted 32 weddings and I've got to think that Pope Resources has to be the only timber company that has its own wedding coordinator.

Do you have companies in your community that would make these types of investments - even after they've been run out of town? How can you build relationships with your local companies that give them this type of connection to your community?

The Blog Log
Visit my weblog to see where I've been and what I learned along the way. This week I blogged on generosity in the heartland, the amazing action in Wimbledon, ND, and a gem in PA as well as several other topics. www.boomtowninstitute.com

On the Road Again
In addition to my travel blog I'll list my upcoming engagements in each issue of The Agurban. Come see me when I'm in your neighborhood!